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Thursday, 15 December 2016

Zak flew to Jen's planet and giggled with glee, he was so excited for what they might see...

Best friends Zak and Jen are off on a Christmas adventure with their special umbrellas. This time, the pair fly to a new planet, but where is everybody? Enjoy the magic as Zak and Jen make some new festive friends and discover how important it is to make the most of every day.

Tinsel Town is a great little children's book, perfect for the run up to Christmas. It tells the tale of the characters Zak and Jen, who come across a special Christmas themed planet, and the adventures that they have in Tinsel Town on Christmas Eve.

The story is all written in rhymes, which makes it fun for children and parents to read together. The writing flows well, and the story is sweet and festive at the same time. One thing I would say, though, is that I'm not entirely sure if a few of the lines really fit. Poetry and rhymes can be notoriously difficult to nail because it does stand out pretty obviously if even just a few syllables are out of place. However, luckily, this doesn't detract from the overall quality of the book.

It is both very well written and very well thought out, promoting an important message - you should always make the most of every single day. The book tells us that we should make time to do what makes us happy, and live every day to the fullest. To that end, it is actually quite bittersweet at the end of the book when we discover the reasons behind Tinsel Town and Zak and Jen leave.

Chris Rivers Nuttall's illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to the story. Chris is obviously a highly skilled illustrator, as the images are all incredibly detailed and of an incredibly high quality. Little ones could spend hours looking at these gorgeous illustrations. They really bring the story to life and make the book that extra bit special. The artwork really is stunning!

Tinsel Town is a really enjoyable little book. It's well thought-out and is sure to be a hit for bedtime stories this Christmas.